Carrier Strike Group Seven

Carrier Strike Group Seven
Carrier Strike Group Seven crest.
Active	1 October 2004 to 30 December 2011
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	Naval air/surface warfare
Part of	U.S. Third Fleet
Garrison/HQ	Naval Air Station North Island, California
Engagements	Operation Anaconda Iraq War (2003–2011) War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Website	Official Website

Carrier Strike Group Seven (CSG-7 or CARSTRKGRU 7) was a U.S. Navy carrier strike group active from October 2004 until 30 December 2011. The strike group's antecendants included two previous aircraft carrier formations, Carrier Division Seven and Carrier Group Seven. Its heritage thus includes the Second World War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War, as well as the first and the second Persian Gulf wars, encompassing a total of 34 deployments to the Western Pacific Ocean and Persian Gulf.

Carrier Strike Group Seven traced its lineage back to Night Carrier Division Seven, the U.S. Navy's first and only aircraft carrier formation exclusively dedicated to night air operations. Established on 19 December 1944, its aircraft carriers provided night air combat patrols for the U.S. Pacific Fleet's Fast Carrier Task Force during World War Two. Night Carrier Division Seven participated in the Philippine and Okinawa campaigns as well as carrier air raids against the Japanese home islands. According to Clark G. Reynolds' The Fast Carrier and Edward P Stafford's Big E, the Enterprise and Saratoga operated very briefly off Okinawa in February 1945 until Saratoga was detached to cover the escort carrier and amphibious force. Initially, Night Carrier Division Seven operated as a separate carrier task group within Task Force 38 and operated only at night. When USS Bonhomme Richard (CV-31) arrived, it was integrated into an existing task group, and the commander of Night Carrier Division Seven directed the night operations within that task group.